Top stop for slide fasteners



Nov. 4, 1941. M. VOlTY TOP STOP FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Filed Sept. 16, 1940 INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 4, 1941 TES ,zsrsn TOP STOP FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Maurice Voity, Long Island City, N. Y assignor to Universal Slide Fastener Co. Inc., New York, N. 2., a corporation of New York Application September 16, 1940, Serial N... assess 5 Claims. .(cl. 24-205) The present invention relates to slide fasteners, and more particularly to an improved form of top stop for the slider member, to be attached to a pair of cooperating element-holding tapes or stringers.

Heretofore, it has been found that the slider member tends to become jammed at the end of its closure movement, thereby preventing the slide fastener from being operable for reverse or opening movement and causing damage to the assembly. This has been partly due to the fact that the uppermost fastener elements on the opposed tapes are not properly spaced from each other. The jamming has also been partly due to the twisting of the tapes adjacent the uppermost fastener elements, causing misalignment of these elements.

Further, considerable dimculty has been encountered in providing a slide fastener assembly applicable as a closure for slits in garmentsj handbags, wallets or the like, wherein by virtue of the irregular contour of the garment incor-. porating the slit when worn, lateral twisting of the stringer and longitudinal displacement of one of the scoop element series with respect to the other is developed, causing misalignment of the scoops in relation to the slider being reciprocated, and consequent jamming of such scoops as the slider is displaced, all of which results in an unsightly appearance of the garment, handbag, wallet or the like in the'zone of the slit closure.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to prevent this jamming by providing a top stopthat will properly space the uppermost fastener elements on the opposed tapes and that will also prevent the portion of the tapes adjacent said uppermost fastener elements from twisting. v fl'op stops prior to the present invention have begn' secured to the tapes by merely gripping the beads'thereof, some top stops having sharp edges embedded in opposite sides of'the beads; others having their channel walls compressed on' the which not only grips the beads of the tapes, but

also grips the tapes directly.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a top stop which is shaped tosubstantially conforni with the top bridge or neck of the slider member.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a top stop of the character indicated which is inexpensive to manufacture, simple in construction, easily applied to the fastener tapes, compact, ornamental in appearance, and eflicient and durable in use. l Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the drawing referred to therein, in which: 7

Figure 1 is a' top plan view of the end portion of a slide fastener assembly illustrating the slide member in itsclosed position adjacent a top stop embodying the present invention.

Figure -2 is a similar view after the slide membar has been moved away from the top stop.

Figure 3 is an' enlarged perspective view of the top stop.

Figure4 is a sectional view along the line M of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a metal strip from which the top stop is manufactured.

Figure 6. isa similar view of the same metal strip in a later stage of manufacture.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to Figures 1 and 2, I have illustrated a top stop embodying the present invention in association with a conventional slide fastener having interlocking fastener elements It arranged on the I beads lllof tapes l2 to form flexiblestringers.

The tapes I2 are adapted to be attached to the sides of the material adjacent the opening to be A closed by the slide fastener. A slide member I3 beads in frictional engagement. The former of cutting through the bead, while with-the latter type a strong pull on the rtapes' oftentimes pulls the bead out of the channel.

tapes, the present invention provides a top stop such stops has the disadvantage of eventually is moved along the fastener elements It to open and close the fastener. A flap It is'linked to a projection It ofslide member 13. Slide member l3 has an interior channel l5 connected with a pair of diverging outlets It at the top of the slide member, the outlets it being laterally spaced by a neck H. The top of the slide member 19- is formed roughly in the shape of an inverted va-with neck that the apex thereof. 1

g The to!) stop 18,; embodying the present in-- v'entiona is arrangedflat the end of the opening defined'by the cooperating stringers normally fastened at the bottom, so as to stop the. slider at the end of its closingimovement to seal and form a closureltorL-thegslitvcof the garment in which it isapplied.

to grip the parts therein.v The diameter of each of these holes is preferably slightly less the beads II which are arranged on tapes l2.

Two of the holes and 2i are made relatively close to each other, being separated by a narrow bridge 22. The remaining holes 23 and 24 are separated a relatively greater distance from holes 20 and 2|, being arranged a substantial and equal distance from the bridge 22 on opposite sides thereof. Holes 23 and 20 are then connected together by a slot 25; and holes 2| and 24, by .a slot 26. The slots are substantially narrower than the thickness of the tapes l2. Shoulders 21 are thereby formed at each hole. The slots 25 and 26 ,are .then expanded (as illustrated in Fig. 6) so as to be wider than the thickness of the tapes l2, spread and also so as to have a greater diameter than the beads II. The strip I9 is then sheared along the lines 28--28 (Fig. 6) so as to produce a cut-out blank from which top stop 13 is formed. By similaroperations additional blanks are obtained from the strip IS.

The cut -out blank is formed into the shape illustrated in Fig. 3 by bending the central porthan the diameter of causing the holes to tion thereof to form an arc and then further bending the end portions until the ends 29 and 30 face inwardly, substantially resulting in a discontinuous ellipse. One of the end portions includes hoe 23 and a minor fraction of slit 25, the other end minor fraction of slit 26. The distance between the'ends 29 and 30 is slightly greater than the width of the neck I! of the slide member II. The distance between holes 23 and His greater than the distance between the inner walls defining the diverging outlets it, but less than the distance between the outer walls definin said outlets l6. The top-stops may be suitably metal plated.

The top stop I8 is secured to the tapes l2 adjacent the topmost of the fastener elements III by arranging one of the beads l I to pass through holes 2| and 24, and by arranging the other of the beads II to pass through holes 20 and 23. (See Fig. 4.) A part of each of the tapes i2 is arranged within the slots. The sides of the top stop iii are then squeezed together 'so as to close the holes around the beads, thereby gripping the beads, and the slots are narrowed so as of the tape within said slots.

Shoulders 21 prevent the beads from slipping out of the holes and the pressure of the top stop on the bead and the direct pressure on the tapes cause the top stop to grip the tapes firmly. Moreover, since the top stop grips a portion of each of the tapes within the slots, and since it is flat, it tends to keep the portions of the tapes thereadjacent flat and in alignment with each other. Twisting of the tape, near the topmost of the fastener elements, with consequent mis- ,aligning of these elements and jamming of the slide member is therefore prevented. Furthermore, it will be seen that the beads are properly spaced apart by the top stop so that the uppermost fastener elements readily enter and leave diverging outlets i6, thereby further pre-. venting jamming of the slide member IS. The beads II, II are spaced apart above the top portion including hole 24 and a integral end portions along the it is secured to the tapes, and will, therefore, not be likely to accidentally catch onto anything. As seen in Figure 1, when slide member I3 is drawn into closed p0sition,.neck ll of slide member I! passes between the ends 29 and 20 of the top stop. The projecting ends are thus covered.

While I have illustrated and described details of a preferred embodiment of my invention, 1 do not intend to be limited thereby, the scope of the present invention being defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1'. A top stop for a slide fastener assembly including opposing stringer tapes with beads along the edges thereof on opposite sides of a slit defined thereby, said top stop having an arcuate central portion with two spaced openings therein, integral end portions extending towards each other from said central portion, said end portions each having an opening connected by a slot to the adjacent opening in the central portion, said connected openings being adapted to sp'acedly receive therein the tive stringer tapes and the interconnecting slots being adapted to receive a body portion of the respective tapes.

2. A top stop for a slide fastener assembly including opposing stringer tapes with beads along the ,edges thereof on opposit sides of a slit defined thereby, central portion with two spaced openings therein, extending towards each other from-said central portion, said end portions each having an opening connected by a slot to the adjacent opening in the central portion, the respective spaced openings in the central portion being closer to one another than the respective cluding opposing stringer tapes with beads along I the edges thereof on opposite sides of a slit defined thereby, said top stop having an arcuate central portion with two spaced openings therein,

1 integral end portions extending towards each other from said central portion, said end portions each having an opening connected by a slot to the adjacent opening in the central portion, the slots being narrower than the openings connected thereby, said connected openings being adapted to spacedly receive therein the beads of the respective stringer tapes and the interconnecting slots being adapted to receive a body portion of the respective strips.

4. A top stop for a slide fastener assembly including opposing, stringer tapes having beads edges thereof and a plurality of interlocking fastener elements arranged along the beads to define opposite sides of a slit, and a slide member adapted to be moved along the fastener elements to lock and unlock'the elements and having spaced diverging outlets at the top thereof,

said top stop having an arcuatecentral portion with two spaced openlngs therein, integral end portions extending towards each other from said beads of the respec said top sto'p having an 'arcuate scentral portion, said end portions each having an opening connected by a slot to the adjacent opening in the central portion, each pair of connected openings being adapted to spacedly receive the bead of one of the stringer tapes and the interconnecting slots being adapted to receive the material adjacent the bead, said openings in the central portion being spaced apart a distance less than the openings in the end portions and said openings in the end portions being spaced apart a distance sufiicient heads received therein with the diverging outlets of the slide member.

5. A top stop for a slide fastener assembly including opposing stringer tapes having beads along the edges thereof and a plurality of interlocking fastener elements arranged i along the beads to define opposite sides of a slit, and a slide member adapted to be moved along the fastener elements tolock and unlock the elements and 20 to align the opposing having a neck defining spaced diverging outlets at the top thereof, said top stop having an arouat central portion with two spaced openings therein, integral end portions extending towards each other from said central portion, said end portions each having an opening connected by a slot to the adjacent opening in the central portion, each pair of connected openings being adapted to spacedly receive and clamp the bead of one of the stringer tapes and the interconnecting slots being adapted to receive and clamp the material adjacent the head, said end portions at their free extremities being spaced apart a distance greater than the width of the neck of the slide member to accommodate said neck therebetween, said openings in the end portions being spaced apart a distance suflicient to align the spacedly clamped beads with the diverging outlets of the slide member.

MAURICE VOITY. 

